The Basics Of Medical Malpractice

When you go into surgery you’d like to think that everything will go as planned, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. Health Grades is a company that specializes in determining the safety and quality ratings of health care providers across the country, and the results from their study about safety in American hospitals may shock you. They researched 37 million hospital records between 2000,2001,2002, and they found that an average of 195,000 people in the country died because of easily preventable medical errors.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you are forced to pursue a charge of medical malpractice. You wonder if you should go for a lump sum cash payment or if you should opt for structured payments, and you aren’t even sure where to start looking for help. It seems like there are advertisements for settlement lawyers everywhere you look, but how can you be sure if their services are right for your needs? If you can find a good lawyer to help you through the malpractice process, your medical malpractice case could go a lot smoother.  If you’re looking for a lawyer to handle your malpractice case, there are a few things you need to know.

What is Medical Malpractice?

A lot of things can go awry during surgery and when you’re being treated for medical problems, but every negative result of the doctor’s actions doesn’t mean that they committed medical malpractice.   Certain medical procedures and treatments come with major risks that the patient has been made aware of by the doctor. You can’t claim medical malpractice if you’ve developed an unpleasant symptom that your doctor warned you about, but if something happens to you because of a doctor or hospital error you can.

Clinic negligence is the legal term used to describe a medical accident where the patient was harmed because of the careless actions of medical professionals and hospitals. This could be something as serious as giving you the wrong kind of medication or making a mistake during surgery, to not properly warning patients about the risks of certain treatments, or by doing things without the patient’s consent.

Requests You Can Make

In medical malpractice cases, the patient has a few options they can choose to take. The patient may simply request an explanation and an apology from the offending doctor and/or hospital.  Some may decide that they want to have people disciplined or reprimanded because of their behavior. That may involve losing their job or receiving a demotion. Victims of malpractice can also choose to request compensation for their medical problems that were caused by negligence.

Things to Keep In Mind

-Each state has a different statute of limitations, so be sure to research the laws in your state and act fast if you want to take your case to court.

-Victims of medical malpractice should look for lawyers who are experienced in handling malpractice cases.  You may have a lawyer that you’ve used in the past for different legal matters, but you’re going to want an experienced malpractice lawyer to work on your case. An experienced lawyer can help you walk through the process of filing your claim and finding evidence.